Wire coiling



Sept. 29, 1959 H. E. WELLCOME 2,

' WIRE COILING Filed Dec.. 5, 195a s Sheets-Sheet 1 NEUTRAL POSITION villi/04111111 I'll/[hill 1,1,1,

DIRECTION OF i MAN DKEL INVENTOR I Hubart E,U)el|cqme 11F: I5, mwyztad m im ATTORNEYS Sept. 29, 1959 H. E. WELLCOME WIRE COILING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5, 1956 n do 3 gi 7 INVENTOR HUlDer-t E BY WMSi ZZL' y ZW ATTORNEYS H. E. WELLCOME WIRE COILING Sept. 29, 1959 Filed Dec. 5, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Hubm-t EMJcHoom-Q BMW 5 m WW ATTORNEYS United States Patent O WIRE COILING Hubert E. Wellcome, Weston, Conn.

Application December 5, 1956, Serial No. 626,465 v 11 Claims. (Cl. 24225) This invention relates to coils of wire from which wire can be delivered and especially to machines and methods for winding the same. v

It is difiicult to coil wire in a dispensing package or assembly configuration such as the type seen in Patent 2,709,553, particularly when a twist must be put in the wire opposite to that which it would receive if drawn from the coil without relative rotation of coil and wire, such a twist being referred to as a backtwist. Also, a coil having more than one layer of wire is more difficult to wind than one with a single layer, especially when backtwisted. A coil of the type concerned herein can be used, for example, in conjunction with the. release of a parachute from a moving airplane for trailing astern thereof. It is desirable that a machine to wind such a coil be ca: pable of winding coils of wire of various sizes, either backtwisted or otherwise, without extensive changes in the machine or its setup for each coil. Another problem encountered is that when successive layers of wire are coiled, the layer being wound is in the opposite direction relative to the preceding layer. There have been many complicated machines for. dead winding magnets or the like but these machines all have been complex and not easily adjusted. When the wire must be backtwisted or given a twist opposite to that it receives upon unwinding,

2,906,468 Patented Sept. 29, 1959 In some instances, it is desirable to place the wire to be wound on a drum before it is backtwisted onto the mandrel and in such case, a taut wire guide arrangement similar tothat for winding the wire onto the mandrel can be used to assist in even coiling of the wire thereon, the wire in this case not being backtwisted.

It can be seen that the winding is accomplished and the mandrel moved relative to the feed wire automatically by exerting a yieldable force against the wire convolution on the mandrel.

These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings which are merely exemplary.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic fragmentary perspective view of the wire guide means, flier and mandrel with the wire being wound counterclockwise when looking toward the mandrel;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top view of the guide wire and coil of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are similar to Fig. 3 except that they illustrate successive positions of the taut wire guide means as the coil is wound;

Fig. 7 is a broken side elevation of the machine, the

' parts being arranged for winding the wire in a clockwise it will. be torsionally alive, and it will tend not to take a backtwist around the drum but will tend to take a spring-like configuration with a high pitch.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved machine and method for winding wire cable in a coil.

In one aspect of the invention, the winding machine may include a mandrel upon which the wire is wound. In the preferred form, the wire is fed to the mandrel so that it is backtwisted as it is coiled thereon. In such an arrangement, a twist is placed in the wire opposite to that which it would receive if drawn from the coil without relative rotation of the wire and coil. A tensioned flexible means, or taut wire guide means is carried on a support or yoke in such a manner that the taut wire thereof tends to move the wire being wound on, the mandrel into tight engagement or close relationship with each preceding turn. Preferably, the taut wire guideor axial force exerting means should be either the same diameter or a trifle larger than the wire being coiled. In one form of the taut or tensioned guide wire support, the taut wire is held in an arcuate yoke with a spring arrangement for the purpose of urging the taut wire guide toward the axis of the mandrel. The mandrel can be carried on a slidable frame mounted on a bed or rod. A brake arrangement is provided between the frame and a fixed surface, such as the bed, so as to yieldingly oppose linear travel of the frame caused by the axial force between the taut wire guide and the wirebeing wound. When a backtwist is to be placed in the coil, the taut wire guide with its support and the feed or flier for the wire to be wound is rotatably mounted so as to rotate about the mandrel or vice-versa.

When the first layer is started, the first convolution of wire normally is threaded through a retaining means, such as a tearout bushing or end plate on the mandrel. The first convolution will lie against the end plate until it moves out one wire width, the taut wire guide exerting an axial force thereon. It should be apparent that at no time will the wire be in a true helix.

direction when looking toward the mandrel from the left;

Fig. 8 is a broken plan view;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged broken fragmentary view along the line 9-9 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view along the line 10-10 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary view along the line 1111 of Fig. 8 showing one type of bearing for the mandrel frame; I

Fig. 12 is a view of the supply drurn winding arrangement with its taut guide wire means in guiding position; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary view looking in the direction 1313 of Fig. 12.

In accordance with the present invention, a wire or metal cable can be wound in a coil so that wire can be delivered from the coil at a high delivery speed and without development of torsional stress in the delivered wire, the latter leaving the coil in an untwisted relaxed condition. The wire in the coil, when it is backtwisted, is in a state of elastic deformation.

The wire to be coiled has an end thereof first placed in an undercut 20 (Fig. 7) on the mandrel shaft under or on the collar 21 supporting the pulling end head or plate 22 of the coil assembly. Fig. 7 shows the wire being coiled in a clockwise direction looking from the left of the ma chine. In the schematic illustration in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the wire is shown being coiled in a counter-clockwise rotation, the parts being given the same reference numerals and reoriented as needed. The mandrel, for example, may be of the expanding type having a nut 23 on the end thereof opposite to the collar 21, said nut which, upon being tightened, holding end plates 22 and 24 in place. Mandrel 25 (Figs. 1 and 7) can be carried on a slidable frame means including mandrel shaft 26, said shaft being slidable relative to uprights or supports 27, 28, supports 27 and 28 being carried on the base 29 of the winding machine. Plate 30 may be suitably fastened to supports 27 and 28 so as to assist in positioning the supports relative to each other. A cross bar 31 can be fastened to rods 32, 33, said rods being slidably mounted in bearings 34 mounted on uprights 27, 28. Cross bar 31 can be fastened by clamp 35 to mandrel rod 26 so that the mandrel rod will be non-rotatably mounted relative thereto. Thus, cross bar 31, mandrel rod 26 and rods-32,

33 comprise a slidable frame axially movable in hearings or bushings 34.

The flier for winding and twisting the wire can be mounted on rotatable face plate 36 which can be carried in pedestal 37, said pedestal having an aperture therethrough for passage of the wire to be wound. The face plate can be rotatably driven by any suitable motive means (not shown). Face plate 36 has sheaves or pulley wheels 39, 40 and 41 mounted thereon for leading the wire onto the mandrel.

As the face plate 36 is rotated relative to mandrel 25, wire 38 will be wound onto the mandrel and backtwisted or given a twist in the desired direction in accordance with the rotation thereof. The flier is rotated so that the coiled wire makes one convolution around the mandrel and then by-passes the original part of the coil by moving alongside thereof on the mandrel surface or the preceding layer of wire.

The taut wire guide arrangement can take the form of an arcuate segment 42 carried by pivoted arms 43, said arms 43 being pivotally mounted at 44 to brackets on face plate 36. The arms 43 can be urged in a direction such that the taut guide wire 45 is urged toward the axis of the mandrel and will rest on the mandrel or the preceding layer of wire thereon. In the form shown, springs 46 act upon the extensions 47 of arms 43 to urge the taut guide wire 45 in a clockwise direction in Fig. 7.

After the first convolution is on the mandrel, the taut guide wire is placed so that the taut wire is on the mandrel. The mandrel will be pushed to the right (Figs. 7 and 8) by the taut guide wire 45 exerting a side pressure on the wire being coiled so as to tend to move the same against the pulling end head or retainer plate 22.

Brake means 72 can be mounted on support 28, the brake having a spring 48 and adjustable stop 49 thereon for adjusting the pressure of brake shoe 50 on rods 32 and 33. The brake is adjusted as needed so that the side or axial pressure of the taut guide wire 45 on the wire being wound is sufiicient to cause succeeding convolutions of wire to be tightly pressed against the succeeding layer or to properly be wound on the coil.

The taut guide wire can be supported in the arcuate yoke or bridge 42 by bushing or terminal means 51 which are threaded and have nuts 52 thereon for the purpose of adjusting the tension of the taut guide wire 45 in the yoke.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, the taut guide wire 45 presses sideways or axially against the preceding convolution. Pulleys or sheaves 39, 4t), 41 are schematically shown in Fig. 1, these being the pulleys mounted on the face plate 36 of Figs. 7 and 8.

In coiling one layer over another, the layer being wound is coiled in the opposite direction to the preceding layer. At the cross-over point, the taut guide wire will become so taut due to bending out of the plane of the frame 42 holding the same that it will force the mandrel to be displaced linearly to accommodate the next convolution. Instead of a steady progression of the mandrel, the mandrel tends to move once per coil convolution and this all at one time.

When a coil being wound completes a layer, such as seen at Fig. 4, the taut guide wire 45 will be pinched out of the space between the adjacent head, such as 24 in Fig. 4, and snapped into a neutral position in the plane of the frame 42, it having prior thereto been displaced relative to the plane thereof as seen in Fig. 2. The wire being coiled then will make its first convolution of the next layer, falling into that layer for succeeding convolutions thereof. In other words, it does not make a spiral against the head but rather moves longitudinally or axially of the mandrel. The wire being coiled moves toward the taut wire and will press it into a taut condition in the opposite direction to which it was when it was located in the previous layer, such being illustrated at Fig. 5. When the tension on the taut wire becomes sufficiently great, the

taut wire will have a compound angle.

a in the winding of coils.

mandrel then will start to move in the opposite direction as seen in Fig. 6.

The taut wire should be under considerable tension in its supporting yoke 42. Referring to Fig. 2, the taut wire takes the configuration of line A, B, C when it is pressing against the wire being coiled. When the layer is completed, the taut wire will snap into a straight position in the plane of the frame 42, or along line A, B, C, and awaits the forming of the next layer. The closer point B is to B, the greater the control exercised by the taut wire guide. Thus, the angle 0 should be as small as practicable.

It is desirable that the taut wire should be at least as big as the wire being coiled, for example, it may be fifty percent greater in diameter. In such an instance, the tension t along the line AB or BC can be made quite high without exceeding the elastic limit of the wire, and the angle 6 can be smaller and still keep the force relation tsin 0 the same. In this manner, greater control can be obtained of the wire at the ends of the coil. It is seldom that a taut wire guide greater in diameter than fifty percent of the wire being coiled is needed, but when the coil is quite small, the backtwist will cause extra resistance and in order to have proper control, a larger taut wire diameter may be desired.

The yoke 42 is mounted on two levers which are spring loaded and pivoted near the face plate so that these springs must be sufficiently great to overcome centrifugal force of the taut wire guide arrangement and to prevent the taut wire guide from hopping up on the layer being coiled rather than axially pushing the mandrel. It can be seen that as a result of the pressure of the springs, the Due to the angularity thereof, the taut wire guide will be in a different plane while making an average layer than it will be while making the first layer. For this reason, distributing pulley or sheave 41 should deliver the wire normal to the coil and in a plane which is average for the taut wire. The distributing pulley 41 also should have a bearing arranged so that the wire as it comes off the pulley will be tangent to the coil layer without there being a bend in the wire.

In providing the supply to the flier, which may be from a supply drum 60, it has been found desirable to wind evenly the supply wire onto said drum 60 before it is fed to the flier. Usually the wire is randomly wound on spools and such has been found not to give best results Drum 60 can be held in support 61. A taut wire guide can also be used for this purpose as illustrated in Fig. 12, the taut wire guide yoke 62 being pivotally mounted on shaft 63, the axis of said shaft being substantially parallel to the axis of shaft 64. The taut wire guide 62 is slidable axially along shaft 63. A frame 68 also is provided for holding a second rod 69 which guides the opposite side of the yoke 62. Wire 65 from a supply coil is led onto the drum and the frame 62 tilted downwardly so that the taut wire guide 66 lies against the side of a convolution of wire thereon. The taut wire guide 66 then will slide back and forth as the supply wire 65 is wound thereon. After this is completed, the end of the wire is led, as at 38, into the flier, the taut wire guide frame 62 being lifted upwardly as seen in Fig. 7, weight 67 holding the same in an inoperative position.

Inasmuch as the taut wire guide provides the motive power to cause the mandrel traverse action and as tsin 6 is necessarily small, it can be seen that it is necessary to take precautions to have as little resistance to linear movement as possible except the controlled resistance provided by the brake system. As an example of the type of bearings 34 which can be employed, a ball bushing arrangement is seen in Fig. 11 having balls which are rotatable and movable in elongated oval shaped passages in the bearing 71. An example of such a ball bushing is one made by Thompson Industries, Inc., Manhasset,

New York. Other types of low friction bearings giving similar results can be employed.

It should be apparent that details of the construction and arrangement of parts can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wire coil winding machine, the combination including mandrel means, means feeding wire to said mandrel, taut guide wire means, supporting means for said taut guide wire means resiliently holding said flexible guide wire means against a convolution of wire being wound on said mandrel so as to press the turns of wire into close relationship thereon, and means freely holding said mandrel and supporting means in axially slidable relationship to each other, the pressure of said guide wire means on said wire being wound moving said mandrel and supporting means relative to each other.

2. In a backtwisted metal wire coil winding machine, the combination including mandrel means for receiving wire, means feeding wire to said mandrel and twisting the same in the opposite direction in each convolution so as to be opposite in direction to the twist developed as the wire is delivered from the coil, taut wire guide means, and supporting means for said taut wire guide means axially holding said guide means against a turn of wire wound on said mandrel so that said wire will be wound closely thereon.

3. In a backtwisted metal wire coil winding machine, the combination including mandrel means for receiving wire, means feeding wire to said mandrel and twisting the same in the opposite direction in each convolution so as to be opposite in direction to the twist developed as the wire is delivered from the coil, taut wire guide means, supporting means for said taut wire guide means axially holding said guide means against a turn of wire wound on said mandrel, and bearing means in which said mandrel means is axially guided so that said mandrel and means feeding wire can move axially relative to each other so that said wire will be wound closely thereon.

4. In a backtwisted metal wire coil winding machine, the combination including mandrel means for receiving wire, means feeding wire to said mandrel and twisting the same in the opposite direction in each convolution so as to be opposite in direction to the twist developed as the wire is delivered from the coil, a frame having a tau-t wire mounted thereon angularly disposed relative to the longitudinal axis of said mandrel means, supporting means for said frame axially holding said taut wire against a turn of wire wound on said mandrel, and bearing means in which said mandrel means is axially guided so that said mandrel and means feeding can move axially relative to each other so that said wire will be wound closely thereon.

5. In a backtwisted metal wire coil winding machine, the combination including mandrel means for receiving wire, means feeding wire to said mandrel and twisting the same in the opposite direction in each convolution so as to be opposite in direction to the twist developed as the wire is delivered from the coil, a frame having a taut wire mounted thereon angularly disposed relative to the longitudinal axis of said mandrel means, means yieldably urging said taut wire towards the axis of said mandrel, supporting means for said frame axially holding said taut wire against a turn of wire wound on said mandrel, and bearing means in which said mandrel means is axially guided so that said mandrel and means feeding wire can move axially relative to each other so that said wire will will be wound closely thereon.

6. In a helical coil Wire winding machine, the combination including a mandrel for receiving wire, wire feed means for guiding wire onto said mandrel, means rotating said wire feed means relative to and about said mandrel means, yoke means movable toward and away from said mandrel means, a taut guide wire held by said yoke 6 means, and means urging said yoke means toward the axis of said mandrel so that said guide wire will exert pressure against the side of wire being wound on said mandrel and thereby exert an axial force thereon.

7. In a helical coil wire winding machine, the combination including a mandrel for receiving wire, a slidable frame carrying said mandrel, said frame and mandrel being movable axially, wire feed means for guiding wire onto said mandrel, means rotating said wire feed means relative to and about said mandrel means, yoke means movable toward and awayv from said mandrel means, a taut guide wire held by said yoke means, and means urging said yoke means toward the axis of said mandrel so that said guide wire will exert pressure against the side of wire being wound on said mandrel and thereby exert an axial force thereon.

8. In a helical coil wire winding machine, the combination including a mandrel for receiving wire, a flier support having wire feed means for guiding wire onto said mandrel, means rotating said flier support relative to and about said mandrel means, yoke means movable toward and away from said mandrel means, a taut guide wire held by said yoke means, and means urging said yoke means toward the axis of said mandrel so that said guide wire will exert pressure against the side of wire being Wound on said mandrel and thereby exert an axial force thereon.

9. In a helical coil wire winding machine, the combination including a mandrel for receiving wire, a flier support having wire feed means for guiding wire onto said mandrel, means rotating said flier support relative to and about said mandrel means, yoke means movable toward and away from said mandrel means, a taut guide wire held by said yoke means, means urging said yoke means toward the axis of said mandrel so that said guide wire will exert pressure against the side of wire being wound on said mandrel and thereby exert an axial force thereon, and brake means resisting axial movement of said slidable frame.

10. The method of forming a coil wire into a coil assembly wherein wire can be delivered from the coil at high speed without rotation of the delivered wire relative to the coil and without developing torsional stress in the wire as it is delivered, comprising the steps of Winding flexible wire on a mandrel between end flanges, rotating the wire about and relative to said mandrel to wind the wire in a helical pattern thereon, twisting said wire as it is wound onto said mandrel in a direction opposite to the direction when unwound therefrom, and moving the helix axially relative to the wire being wound on the helix and pressing the convolutions of wire together by applying force axially against the side of the last convolution being wound thereon.

11. The method of forming a coil wire into a coil assembly wherein wire can be delivered from the coil at high speed without rotation of the delivered wire relative to the coil and without developing torsional stress in the wire as it is delivered, comprising the steps of winding flexible wire on a mandrel between end flanges, rotating the wire about and relative to said mandrel to wind the wire in a helical pattern thereon, twisting said wire as it is wound onto said mandrel in a direction opposite to the direction when unwound therefrom, and applying force axially against the side of the convolutions of the helix through a flexible guide means, said flexible guide means also having a yieldable force applied thereto towards the axis of the helical coil.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,351,669 Dentzer et al June 20, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 714,208 Great Britain Aug. 25, 1954 

